Monday, May 29, 2017

The New Noir byRodrigo Ribera D'Ebre - features Jim McHugh's work and collaborations with the renown LA artists Big Sleeps and Prime and the world of Graffiti art.

There is no city more noir than Los Angeles. We wrote the book on it and we shot the film. One such documentarian of this phenomenon is Jim McHugh, photographer of noir landscapes and renowned artists like Ed Ruscha, Robert Graham, and David Hockney. Currently, McHugh spends time photographing avant-garde artists of the underground. It is a dark world that intersects fine art, street gangs, graffiti, tattoos, murals, and urban street wear.

Two agents of change unfolding in this cinematic drama are David ‘Big Sleeps’ Cavazos and Jose ‘Prime’ Reza. Born and raised on the seedy streets of Pico Union near Downtown L.A.Their work is straight up Los Angeles – grimy, in-your-face, and unapologetic. Simultaneously, it is contemporary and stunning.

McHugh who maintains that, “Big Sleeps and Prime have been my passport to a whole other Los Angeles. A world of remarkable artists who have existed in a culturally separate parallel universe.”

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Photographed from pool deck of The Excelsior courtesy of Caruso Affiliated

Brand Blvd. Glendale, CA in the early part of the century

A 1920s poured concrete construction, the Masonic Temple in Glendale, CA. was restored in 2015 - 2016 by Caruso Affiliated. A landmark building with joining historic store front shops located across from the Americana at Brand this remarkable renovation represents the city's most ambitious integration of vintage and new construction to date.

The Masonic Temple on Brand Blvd. shortly after it's opening in the 1920s.

"Not to be missed this year are the photographs by Jim McHugh working with two LA graffiti artists. Selected for the LA ART SHOW 2017 as a special exhibition these exceptional images are quite appropriately installed in the art fair's newest VIP Lounge in situ environment. McHugh titles them fusion prints because of the multiple skills employed.

Photographer McHugh has joined with two legendary artists, real LA street lettering masters, Joe “Prime” Reza and David Cavazos aka "Big Sleeps," to create these raw, authentic representations of a secret, hidden LA. This unique display of fresh work combining LA urban landscape and graffiti hand-styles is curated by Timothy Yarger of Timothy Yarger Fine Art for the newly designed Art Show VIP Lounge. FYI, the lounge by Paul Lester of The Agency is a welcome oasis for pause amidst a very busy 2017 art fair, "

"Mulholland Drive Radio Tower - LOS" this is the original 42" x 32" image with Prime's beautiful LA lettering.

It was
great to see "Washington Blvd" up and so perfect on the red wall. I am
now photographing a series of these LA neighborhood landscapes with input from Sleeps and Prime who are then adding their
individual hand-styles. There are a limited number of versions of each, a
series of unique mono prints.
"Washington Blvd," was photographed over a period of several days,
either very early in the morning or at night. The result is a Polaroid,
Fuji instant film collage, after which there is a week of post time,
like drawing really, and much time back and forth test printing. It's
quite an elaborate process. Then Sleeps and Prime apply their lettering.

For
the Washington image there are a number of smaller 15" x 44" versions
on paper, with different tones and hand lettering. This is the largest
version, on Innova matte canvas mounted on Dibond. Tim and Paul
included one of my most favorite LA pictures, "The Orpheum Theatre" a
"LA LA Land" like image I photographed in 2006. The "Portrait of Prime"
was made at the The Container Yard last year for the Robert Graham
Foundation's "AFTERMATH" exhibit in 2016.